1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a pressure-contact terminal which can be connected with a conductor without soldering of the conductor onto the pressure-contact terminal, and to an electric connection box including such pressure-contact terminals.
2. Description of Related Art
In a vehicle, an electric connection box having a connector holder is used to collect branch wire connection portions of a wire harness for use in electric parts and fit connectors and the like thereon. Generally, in such an electric connection box, a branch conductive circuit called a bus bar having upstanding tab portions formed by punching a metal plate such as a copper plate is fixed to an insulation plate. A circuit member having a plurality of branch conductive circuits laminated one upon another is accommodated in the body of the electric connection box. The tab portions project inside a connector socket which is formed on the body of the electric connection box.
Recently, vehicles have become equipped with more electric parts. However, since it is necessary to form the tab portions on the bus bar of the box, the electric connection box has a low degree of freedom in wiring. Thus, to construct a large circuit, it is necessary to construct the circuit member by laminating a large number of insulation plates one upon another, which leads to a large size of the electric connection box.
To solve the above-described problem, there has been proposed an electric connection box in which a part of a circuit is constructed of conductors, and pressure-contact terminals each having a tab portion and a sandwiching portion for engaging and gripping one of the conductors are used.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,266 shows a terminal of planar sheet metal having flexible sandwiching portions to receive an uncoated conductor wire. The terminal has a large width relative to the wire diameter, and therefore does not allow compact arrangement of multiple terminals and wire.
Thus, when a plurality of terminals are arranged beside each other in the circuit member, a dimension in the connection box corresponding to the total width of the terminals added to the total width of terminal holding portions between the terminals is required, which prevents the array of terminals from being arranged with narrow pitch. Thus, there is a limitation in producing a compact circuit member. Consequently, a small electric connection box cannot be manufactured.